We get a series of articles from Fergus’s paper in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 109
Every now and then, we see diary entries and letters as chapters. For Outlander Book 6, Chapter 109, we get a chapter that’s full of newspaper articles.
It’s a great way to bring Fergus and Marsali back into the story. We get to see that they have been hard at work, and that the paper is doing well. The articles are a lot of real pieces of news from the time period, but there is one that is purely about the story.
We learn what the Committee of Safety decided to do about Bonnet. He is to be executed by drowning. This is where the foreshadowing is. Remember what his fears are. It tells us a lot about what is going to happen.
The other articles give us an idea of what’s going on in the time period. They remind us of the bigger picture in the colonies right now, which is important for future stories to come.
Of course, the chapter wasn’t used in the TV series. It wouldn’t be possible to include the articles into the story. We have seen newspaper articles included, but they’ve been part of the story and not the way to tell the story in the TV series. However, that hasn’t stopped the show from using the details of the story, and I’ll get to that in the adaptation section.
Let’s dive into A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 109.
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter involves three articles from Fergus’s paper. The first is about a Royal Proclamation from King George III. He declares that the colonies are now “in a State of open avowed Rebellion.” It notes that we are now in the Revolutionary War.
We then get a report about what is now known as the Battle of Gloucester. This was supposedly a minor skirmish in 1775, and it involved Captain John Lizee of the HMS Falcon. He gives chase to two schooners but only captures one of them. Again, it gives us a point of reference for the Revolutionary War.
The third article is the one that connects purely to our story. We find out that Bonnet is going to be executed by drowning. Of course, this is his biggest fear. What will Brianna do to keep her word? Does she even care?
The next article tells us of bands of slaves who have escaped and are stealing from farms in Wilmington and Brunswick. It again gives us a reference of things that have happened in the past to tell us where we are in the Revolutionary War.
Finally, we learn about the Currency Redemption being announced. This is where the colonies will pay installments in 1779, 1780, 1781, and 1782. I believe this was introduced to help finance the Revolutionary War. This was paper currency for the Revolution.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
There is some foreshadowing in this in the article about Stephen Bonnet. We find out that he’s going to be executed by drowning, and we know what his fear is. It’s clear that Brianna is going to do something about this.
We know that Brianna is kind and caring. It’s not really an act of mercy, though. I think it’s more of Brianna keeping her word, proving she’s a woman of honor just like her father.
Adapting A Breath of Snow and Ashes chapter
This chapter wasn’t used in the TV series. There was just no need for it. This is one of those chapters that brings up the events that are happening in the Revolutionary War at the time. Things like this can be used just in passing. There’s no way to actually have the articles pop up on their own in the TV show easily.
The only part that was included was what happened to Bonnet. We get to know through conversation that Bonnet is going to be executed by drowning. It’s the only part of the chapter that is necessary.
What did you spot while reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 109? Let us know in the comments below.
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